JP2008149483A - Method for cleaning recorder, and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently remove a foreign substance etc. stuck to a nozzle forming surface of a recording head while avoiding damage to the nozzle forming surface, and to recover the delivering performance while lessening pressing of the foreign substance etc. into nozzles. <P>SOLUTION: The recording head 3 is loaded with a sub-tank 20 on a carriage 2. An ink is supplied from an ink supplying source 14 stood still in an apparatus body to the sub-tank 20 via an ink feeding pipe 16. Before the nozzle forming surface 7 of the recording head is wiped by a wiping member 39, the carriage 2 is moved. A pressure in the sub-tank 20 is raised by the ink supplied from the ink feeding pipe 16 to the sub-tank 20 following the movement of the carriage 2, whereby the ink is projected from the nozzle of the recording head 3. In the state, the nozzle forming surface 7 is wiped by relatively moving the wiping member 39. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus cleaning method and a recording apparatus that include a recording head that discharges ink from nozzles and a wiping member that wipes and cleans a nozzle forming surface of the recording head.

  In a recording head that discharges ink from a nozzle and records on a recording medium such as paper, the nozzle periphery of the nozzle forming surface is scattered without being normally ejected, or ink mist that is generated when ink is ejected, Contamination is caused by adhesion of ink bounced off the recording medium, paper dust of the recording medium, and the like. In general, a recording apparatus is provided with a means for cleaning the nozzle forming surface because foreign matter adhering to the periphery of the nozzle causes ink landing deviation, splashing, and the like, and reduces recording accuracy.

For example, the cleaning means disclosed in Patent Document 1 covers a nozzle forming surface with a cap body, and performs a suction purge operation for forcibly discharging foreign matter and bubbles in ink together with ink from the nozzle, or a wiping member ( A wiping operation for wiping with a wiper) is performed.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-343039 (see FIG. 8)

  By the way, in recent years, as the recording quality has been improved, the interval between the nozzle formation surface and the recording medium has become narrower, and the paper dust and ink adhering to the nozzle formation surface have increased or adhered firmly. There is a tendency to do. In order to cope with this, it is conceivable to perform the above-described suction purge operation frequently or continuously for a long time, or to strongly press and wipe the nozzle forming surface with the wiping member.

  However, in the former case, the amount of ink forced to be discharged from the nozzle for cleaning increases, so that wasteful consumption of ink increases. Or the nozzle forming surface may be damaged by a strong force.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and removes foreign matter and the like adhering to the nozzle formation surface of the recording head efficiently without damaging the nozzle formation surface, and hardly pushes foreign matter or the like into the nozzle. An object of the present invention is to realize a cleaning method for a recording apparatus and a recording apparatus that can recover the ejection performance.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cleaning method for a recording apparatus according to claim 1 includes a recording head that ejects ink from a nozzle, a sub tank that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, the recording head, A carriage mounted with a sub tank and moving relative to the apparatus main body, an ink supply pipe connected to the ink supply source stationary on the apparatus main body and the sub tank, and a wiping member for wiping the nozzle formation surface of the recording head; In accordance with the movement of the carriage, the pressure in the sub tank is increased by the ink supplied from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank to cause the ink to protrude from the nozzles of the recording head. With the ink protruding from the front, the relative movement between the carriage and the wiping member In the wiping member is to wipe the nozzle formation face of the recording head.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a recording head that ejects ink from a nozzle; a sub tank that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head; and the recording head and the sub tank mounted on the apparatus main body. And a wiping member for wiping the nozzle formation surface of the recording head. The recording apparatus includes: a carriage that moves; an ink supply pipe that connects the ink supply source stationary on the apparatus main body and the sub tank; Switching means for switching between a first state in which ink can move bidirectionally between the supply pipe and the sub-tank and a second state in which ink can move in only one direction from the ink supply pipe to the sub-tank; The carriage is moved in the second state, and the sub tank is moved from the ink supply pipe as the carriage moves. The switching means, the wiping member wiping the nozzle forming surface of the recording head in a state where the ink in the sub-tank is raised by the supplied ink and the ink protrudes from the nozzle of the recording head. And a control means for controlling the carriage and the wiping member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus according to the second aspect, the sub tank is generated in the ink supply pipe and the ink in the sub tank in accordance with the movement of the carriage in the first state. It has a function of absorbing pressure fluctuations.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, as the carriage moves, the pressure in the sub tank is increased by the ink supplied from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank, and the ink protrudes from the nozzle of the recording head. Since the nozzle forming surface is wiped by the wiping member, foreign matter or the like is hardly pushed into the nozzle by the wiping member. Further, since the wiping member is always wetted with ink when wiping, it is easy to remove paper dust, ink and the like adhering to the periphery of the nozzle, and the nozzle forming surface is hardly damaged. Furthermore, since the ink on the surface in the nozzle is removed at that time, the viscosity increase of the ink in the nozzle can be suppressed, and the ink ejection performance can be recovered satisfactorily.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the second state in which the ink can move only in one direction from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank, the sub tank can be driven by the ink supplied from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank as the carriage moves. It is possible to increase the internal pressure and cause the ink to protrude from the nozzles of the recording head. This protrusion of ink does not lead to ejection, and the meniscus swells, so in this state, the foreign material is pushed into the nozzle as described above by wiping the nozzle forming surface with a wiping member. There are few effects, it is hard to damage a nozzle formation surface, and also the viscosity increase of the ink in a nozzle is suppressed, and there exists an effect that ink discharge performance can be recovered favorably.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sub tank has a function of absorbing pressure fluctuations generated in the ink in the ink supply pipe and the sub tank. Accordingly, when performing a recording operation for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, it is possible to suppress instability of ejection due to ink pressure fluctuation.

  Hereinafter, a basic embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a recording apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. The recording apparatus 1 may be applied to a single printer apparatus, or may have a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function and a copy function. The present invention may be applied to a printer function (recording unit) of a multi-function device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 1 includes a recording head 3 mounted on a carriage 2 and a platen 4 facing the lower surface of the recording head 3. The first guide member 5 and the second guide member 6 are members extending in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction) of the carriage 2, and the carriage 2 is configured to reciprocate across these. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 3 is attached to the carriage 2 so as to expose the nozzle forming surface 7 from the opening provided on the lower surface thereof.

  A sheet as a recording medium is transported along a sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction). The paper is transported by a plurality of transport rollers 42 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 5) for feeding and discharging paper. The carriage 2 reciprocates along the Y-axis direction by a timing belt 11 stretched between a driving pulley 9 connected to a carriage (CR) motor 8 and a driven pulley 10.

  In the main body frame 18 of the recording apparatus 1, an ink receiving portion 12 is provided on one side (left side in FIG. 1) outside the width (recording area) of the paper in the Y-axis direction, and the other side (see FIG. 1). 1 is provided with a maintenance unit 13. The recording head 3 periodically discharges ink (flushing) to prevent nozzle clogging during a recording operation at a position facing the ink receiving portion 12 (that is, a flushing position). Further, a wiper 39 for wiping operation for wiping the nozzle forming surface 7 is also provided at the flushing position. The maintenance unit 13 is provided corresponding to the standby position (home position) of the carriage 2, and performs a suction purge operation and an exhaust operation on the recording head 3. These wiping operation, suction purge operation, and exhaust operation will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body frame 18 is provided with a storage portion 15 for a replaceable ink cartridge 14 (corresponding to the ink supply source in the claims). Here, according to the number of ink colors, black is used here. Four ink cartridges 14 for ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink are accommodated. Each ink cartridge 14 can be individually attached to and detached from the storage unit 15. The ink in each ink cartridge 14 is independently supplied to the recording head 3 via a flexible ink supply tube (resin tube) 16.

  The ink cartridge 14 is provided with an ink outflow hole 19, and the bottom of the storage portion 15 has a hollow shaft-like (in some cases, hollow needle-like) ink communicating with the ink supply pipe 16 as shown in FIG. The receiving part 17 is protrudingly provided (refer FIG.2 and FIG.3). FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram, and the ink outflow hole 19 of the ink cartridge 14 is covered with valve means (not shown) for preventing ink leakage before the ink receiving portion 17 is inserted. Yes.

  The ink receiving portions 17 are provided at four locations according to the number of ink cartridges 14, and an ink supply pipe 16 communicates with each ink receiving portion 17. When the ink cartridge 14 is mounted in the storage portion 15, the ink in the ink cartridge 14 flows into the ink supply pipe 16 when the ink receiving portion 17 is pushed into the ink outflow hole (not shown). Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 2 is mounted with an ink storage portion (corresponding to a sub tank in the claims) 20 that temporarily stores the ink introduced through the ink supply pipe 16 and then supplies the ink to the recording head 3. ing. The ink storage section 20 is divided into four sections for storing independently for each ink color, and is disposed on the upper part of the recording head 3. The recording head 3 is provided with a nozzle row for each ink color, and the ink in the four sections is supplied to the corresponding nozzle row.

  In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, the ink supply pipe 16 branches near the ink reservoir 20 and is connected to each section of the ink reservoir 20 at two locations. Valves 50 and 51 are provided in two branch paths connected to the ink storage unit 20.

  The first valve 50 is opened and closed by a drive source such as an electromagnet, and when the first valve 50 is opened, the ink can be moved bidirectionally between the ink supply pipe 16 and the ink reservoir 20. The first valves 50 connected to the respective sections of the ink storage unit 20 may be opened and closed by different driving sources, but may be simultaneously opened and closed by one driving source. The second valve 51 is a known one-way valve, and allows the ink flow only in one direction from the ink supply pipe 16 toward the ink reservoir 20 and closes in the opposite direction.

  By opening the first valve 50 of these ink supply pipes 16, the first state in which the ink can be moved in both directions between the ink supply pipe 16 and the ink reservoir 20, and the first valve 50 is closed. Only the second valve 51 can be switched to the second state in which the ink flow is allowed only in one direction from the ink supply pipe 16 toward the ink reservoir 20. The means for switching is included in a control unit (corresponding to the control means in claims) 300 described later.

  The control unit (switching unit) 300 sets the first state when the recording head 3 performs a recording operation on the recording medium. During the recording operation, the recording head 3 repeats reciprocating movement in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction) by the carriage 2, so that pressure fluctuation occurs in the ink inside the ink supply pipe 16 and the ink storage unit 20. . However, as will be described later, by storing a certain amount of air in the air reservoir 22 inside the ink reservoir 20, the above-described pressure fluctuation can be absorbed by this air damper effect.

  On the other hand, when the control unit (switching means) 300 is set to the second state, the ink in the ink supply tube 16 is moved from the ink supply tube 16 by the relative movement with the ink storage unit 20 due to inertia as the carriage 2 reciprocates. Although it is possible to enter the storage unit 20, the ink in the ink storage unit 20 cannot be discharged. Therefore, the ink inside the ink reservoir 20 is pressurized and the internal pressure rises. As will be described later, an air reservoir 22 that absorbs pressure fluctuations is provided inside the ink reservoir 20. This increase in internal pressure causes the air reservoir 22 to be compressed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink protrudes from the nozzles 7 a of the recording head 3 to such an extent that the meniscus swells, although it does not discharge.

  The ink reservoir 20 is provided with an exhaust passage 21 for each of the four sections. One end of the exhaust passage 21 communicates with the ceiling portion of each section of the ink storage portion 20, and the other end opens to the outside at substantially the same height as the nozzle formation surface 7 of the recording head 3. The ink reservoir 20 is formed in a downward L-shape along the side surface from the upper surface.

  An air reservoir 22 for reliably storing a predetermined amount of air is provided in the upper part of each compartment of the ink reservoir 20. The air in the air reservoir 22 is stored so as to be in contact with the ink inside the ink reservoir 20 and has a function of absorbing pressure fluctuations generated in the ink during the movement of the carriage 2. That is, during acceleration and deceleration at both ends of the reciprocating movement of the carriage 2, the ink in the ink supply pipe 16 moves due to inertia and generates a pressure fluctuation in the ink storage unit 20. It is absorbed by the damper effect of the air in the part 22. It is also possible to obtain a damper effect by configuring the wall surface of each section of the ink reservoir 20 with a flexible film.

  An exhaust valve (not shown) is provided inside the exhaust passage 21 to open and close the exhaust passage 21. When the exhaust passage 21 is opened by this exhaust valve, the air accumulated in the ink reservoir 20 can be discharged by the exhaust operation described later, but the air in the air reservoir 22 is reliably retained even after the exhaust operation is completed. Is configured to do.

  At the flushing position, a wiper (corresponding to a wiping member in claims) 39 for wiping operation for wiping the nozzle forming surface 7 is provided so as to move up and down by an elevating mechanism 40. During the wiping operation, the nozzle 2 is wiped relatively by the wiper 39 by moving the carriage 2 so that the recording head 3 intersects the raised wiper 39. The wiper 39 has flexibility, and the nozzle forming surface 7 is wiped off while the tip of the wiper 39 is bent. The ink that has fallen (spilled) at this time is received by the ink receiver 12 so that the surroundings are not contaminated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance unit 13 collectively covers the first cap body 30 that can cover the nozzle forming surface 7 so as to surround the nozzle row of the recording head 3 and the lower ends of the four exhaust passages 21. A possible second cap body 31 is provided. The first cap body 30 and the second cap body 31 are both box-shaped with an open top and made of a rubber-like elastic body, and are mounted side by side on the cap body holder 32. The cap body holder 32 can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 33. In the raised position, the first cap body 30 is elastic on the nozzle forming surface 7 and the second cap body 31 is elastic on the lower end of the exhaust passage 21, respectively. At the same time while deforming.

  The first cap body 30 and the second cap body 31 are both connected to the suction pump 34, and a first discharge port 35 communicating with the suction pump 34 is provided on the bottom wall of the first cap body 30. A second discharge port (not shown) communicating with the suction pump 34 is formed in the bottom wall of the body 31. In addition, a protrusion 38 that contacts the exhaust valve when the exhaust passage 21 is opened is formed in the second cap body 31 for each exhaust passage 21.

  A switching valve (not shown) is arranged between the first cap body 30 and the second cap body 31 and the suction pump 34. By switching the switching valve, the state in which the inside of the first cap body 30 and the inside of the second cap body 31 are separately communicated with the suction pump 34, the state in which both are in communication with the suction pump 34, In either case, a state in which the suction pump 34 is not communicated can be set. Then, purge suction described later is performed using the first cap body 30 and the suction pump 34, and exhaust operation described later is performed using the second cap body 31 and the suction pump 34.

  Note that the rotation of the suction pump 34, the vertical movement of the elevating mechanisms 33 and 40, and the switching of the switching valve 37 are performed by independent drive sources. Alternatively, each mechanism can be sequentially driven by a single driving source in accordance with the movement of the cam. Further, by using a sheet conveyance (LF) motor 41 (see FIG. 5) and selectively switching the rotation direction, power is selectively transmitted to the maintenance unit 13 and the wiper 39 and the conveyance roller 42 (see FIG. 5). You may do it.

  Next, a control unit 300 that controls the overall operation of the recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 300 is configured around a microcomputer including a CPU 304, a ROM 301, a RAM 302, and an EEPROM 303, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 306 connected to the microcomputer via a bus 305.

  The ROM 301 stores programs and the like for controlling various operations of the recording apparatus 1, and the RAM 302 is a storage area for temporarily storing various data used when the CPU 304 executes these programs, and a work area. Used as

  The ASIC 306 generates, for example, a phase excitation signal for energizing each motor in accordance with a command from the microcomputer, and outputs these signals to the drive circuit 307 of the paper transport (LF) motor 41 and the carriage (CR) motor 8. The drive circuit 308 and the drive circuit 311 of the drive source 43 for the maintenance unit 13 and the drive circuit 312 of the drive source 45 for the wiper 39 are supplied to the LF motor 41, the carriage (CR) motor 8, the maintenance unit 13, and the wiper. 39 is controlled. The ASIC 306 controls the drive source 44 for opening and closing the first valve 50 through the drive circuit 310.

  The drive circuit 309 is for selectively ejecting ink from the recording head 3 to the paper at a predetermined timing, and controls the recording head 3 by receiving a signal output from the ASIC 306 based on the recording data. .

  The cleaning (recovery operation) of the recording head 3 in the recording apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. For cleaning the recording head 3, a wiping operation for wiping the nozzle forming surface 7 with the wiper 39, a suction purge operation using the first cap body 30 and the suction pump 34, and a second cap body and the suction pump 34 are used. Exhaust operation that had been.

  When performing the wiping operation while the recording head 3 discharges ink onto the recording medium and performs recording, the control unit (switching unit) 300 closes the first valve 50 and sets the second state. In this state, the ejection operation for recording is paused and the carriage 2 is reciprocated along the main scanning direction one or more times. As a result, as described above, the pressure of the ink in the ink reservoir 20 increases, and the ink slightly protrudes from the nozzles of the recording head 3. In this state, the recording head 3 is moved to the flushing position.

  Then, in conjunction with the start of the movement of the recording head 3 to the flushing position, the lifting mechanism 40 raises the wiper 39 to a position where its tip end abuts on the nozzle forming surface 7. By passing the recording head 3 so as to intersect the wiper 39, the nozzle forming surface 7 is relatively wiped off by the wiper 39. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, since the ink protrudes from the nozzle 7a, the wiper 39 is wetted by this ink, and the nozzle forming surface 7 is wiped off as it is.

  Therefore, foreign matter or the like is rarely pushed into the nozzle 7a by the wiper 39. In addition, foreign matters such as ink and paper dust adhering to the nozzle forming surface 7 can be easily removed and the nozzle forming surface 7 can be damaged as compared with the case where the wiper 39 is rubbed against the nozzle forming surface 7 in a dry state. There is little fear. Furthermore, since the ink on the surface in the nozzle is removed at that time, the viscosity increase of the ink in the nozzle can be suppressed, and the ink ejection performance can be recovered satisfactorily.

  At this time, since the amount of ink is such that the meniscus does not swell without being ejected from the nozzles, the ink can be used efficiently for cleaning without consuming a large amount of ink. The wiping operation is set to be performed periodically during the recording operation. However, the wiping operation may be performed when the user instructs cleaning (recovery operation) for the recording head by a button operation or the like.

  On the other hand, when the suction purge operation and the exhaust operation are performed on the recording head 1, the recording head 1 is moved to the maintenance position. At the maintenance position, the cap body holder 32 rises, and the first cap body 30 covers the nozzle forming surface 7 and the second cap body 31 covers the lower end of the exhaust passage 21 (described as a cap covering state). As a result, the protruding portion 38 of the second cap body 31 operates the exhaust valve and opens the exhaust passage 21.

  In this cap-covered state, when the suction pump 34 communicates with only the first cap body 30 and sucks, thickened ink and air are discharged from the nozzle (not shown) together with the ink inside the recording head 1 to the outside. It is discharged (suction purge operation).

  On the other hand, when the suction pump 34 is in communication with only the second cap body 31 in the above-described cap covering state, the air collected in the ink storage unit 20 together with some ink is discharged to the outside through the exhaust passage 21. It is discharged (exhaust operation).

  After the suction purge operation or the exhaust operation is completed, the cap body holder 32 is lowered, the first cap body 30 is separated from the nozzle forming surface 7, and the second cap body 31 is separated from the lower end of the exhaust passage 21. Become. In this separated state, when the suction pump 34 communicates with one or both of the first and second cap bodies 30 and 31 and starts suction, the ink remaining in the cap bodies 30 and 31 is discharged (empty). Suction operation).

  In the case where the suction purge operation and the exhaust operation are continuously performed, the exhaust purge operation is performed first, and the suction purge operation is performed in a state where the amount of air in the ink storage unit 20 is reduced. These can also be done individually. After the suction purge operation is executed, the wiping operation is always executed. In this embodiment, as described above, since the wiping operation is performed by causing the ink in the nozzle to protrude, it is also possible to reduce the frequency of the suction purge operation. As a result, the amount of ink forcibly discharged by the suction purge operation can be reduced, and wasteful consumption of ink can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, the wiper 39 that performs the above-described wiping operation is disposed at the flushing position, but may be disposed at the maintenance position. When the wiper 39 is disposed at the maintenance position, an ink receiving portion (such as an ink absorber) is also disposed at the maintenance position in order to prevent ink that has been dropped (spilled) during the wiping operation from contaminating the surrounding area. It is desirable.

  When the wiper 39 is disposed at the flushing position and a second wiper different from the wiper 39 is disposed at the maintenance position, the recording head 3 returns to the recording area after completing the suction purge operation. The nozzle forming surface 7 may be wiped off with the second wiper at the maintenance position.

1 is a schematic plan view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a relationship between a recording head and a wiper. It is a figure which illustrates typically the connection location of an ink supply pipe and an ink storage part. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows a wiping state. It is a block diagram which shows a control part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording device 2 Carriage 3 Recording head 7 Nozzle formation surface 12 Ink receiving part 13 Maintenance unit 14 Ink cartridge 16 Ink supply pipe 20 Ink storage part 21 Exhaust passage 22 Air reservoir part 39 Wiper 50 First valve 51 Second valve

Claims (3)

A recording head that ejects ink from the nozzles, a subtank that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, a carriage that is mounted on the recording head and the subtank and moves relative to the apparatus main body, and is placed stationary on the apparatus main body In a recording apparatus comprising: an ink supply pipe connecting an ink supply source and the sub tank; and a wiping member for wiping a nozzle forming surface of the recording head.
Along with the movement of the carriage, the pressure in the sub tank is increased by the ink supplied from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank, so that the ink protrudes from the nozzles of the recording head,
A cleaning method for a recording apparatus, wherein the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is wiped by the wiping member by relative movement between the carriage and the wiping member in a state where ink protrudes from the nozzle. A recording head that ejects ink from the nozzles, a subtank that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, a carriage that is mounted on the recording head and the subtank and moves relative to the apparatus main body, and is placed stationary on the apparatus main body In a recording apparatus comprising: an ink supply pipe connecting an ink supply source and the sub tank; and a wiping member for wiping a nozzle forming surface of the recording head.
Switching between a first state in which ink can move bidirectionally between the ink supply pipe and the sub tank and a second state in which ink can move in only one direction from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank. Means,
In the second state, the carriage is moved, and with the movement of the carriage, the pressure in the sub tank is increased by the ink supplied from the ink supply pipe to the sub tank so that the ink protrudes from the nozzle of the recording head. And a control unit that controls the switching unit, the carriage, and the wiping member so that the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is wiped by the wiping member.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sub tank has a function of absorbing pressure fluctuations generated in the ink supply pipe and the ink in the sub tank as the carriage moves in the first state. .

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